Growth on a birch: what is it called, why does it appear on the tree? Birch burl Strawberry tree burl, what do they do with it.

If you like to go outdoors, you've probably seen trees with strange spherical growths on the trunk or near the roots while walking through the forest. Such peculiar growths or nodules, covered with rough bark, are called mouth guards. As a rule, they occur in places where shoots and dormant buds grow. They can be found on birch, linden, alder, maple, rowan, oak, pine, larch, thuja, eucalyptus, myrtle, and walnut.

Cap, growing on the trunk of a tree is called a stem, and at the root - a capo root. Capo root is found in the forest much more often than stem root and can reach one and a half meters in diameter. According to their shape, mouthguards are divided into circular, encircling and lateral. Sometimes the mouth guards grow so much that they can weigh up to 1 ton.

Cap– a rare, very hard and beautiful material with unusual design fibers that look like marble. It was widely known in our country back in the 12th century. In Rus', dishes were made from it, which were called burl. Mainly, these were hollowed out bowls, ladles and bowls. IN early XIX centuries, burl, along with valuable species of wood, was used for decorative finishing of furniture; boxes and snuff boxes were cut out of it, which were then inlaid with gold, mother-of-pearl or ivory and exported to other countries. Thanks to your unique qualities and extraordinary warmth of perception, the cap was highly valued all over the world.

Today cap serves as a material for the manufacture of artistic and decorative products (candlesticks, salt shakers, vases for sweets, fruits and flowers), and is also used for veneering furniture. The hardness of burl is several times greater than that of ordinary wood and is quite difficult to process, so products from it have to be made by hand.

Burl extraction is done with great care and only in cases where it can be cut down entirely. The problem is that it is almost impossible to separate it without damaging the tree itself, so it is best to look for burl at logging sites among already cut trees. The burl is cut out with part of the trunk to prevent it from cracking when drying, and also because otherwise it is simply impossible to separate it from the tree due to its high hardness. Depending on the size of the future product, the burl is cut into plates. Usually on a fresh cut the pattern is pale and inconspicuous, so the burl is steamed. After drying, the tray is ready for use. As a rule, burl products are coated with a special varnish or natural beeswax, which gives them a matte finish and conveys the warmth of wood well.

In its raw form, the burl can be used as a decorative element. For example, graceful small burls can be mounted on the wall of the room, either separately or as part of an original composition, and large knotted burls can be placed on the floor or a special stand as a natural decoration that emphasizes the eco-friendly nature of the style of the room.

Of all naturally occurring burls, only 10% can be used to create decorative and artistic products, and the period from the beginning to the end of its processing can last several years. These periods cannot be reduced even with the help of modern technologies because of negative influence on the color and natural properties of the material. All these features of the burl determine its uniqueness, high value and originality, making it truly exotic, symbol of ancient traditions in modern world.

Mouth guards- painful growths on trees. They can appear on any tree. In cross section they resemble marble. Burls grow strongly and can sometimes reach a weight of up to 1 ton. Burls can be found on aspen, birch, oak, spruce, willow and aspen. They can be used to make various decorative items, but they have no industrial value.

There are other growths on trees - suvel, which are often confused with burls. On birch trees, suvel can be seen more often than burl. When cut, birch suvel has a texture similar to that of Karelian birch. How to distinguish a burl from a suveli? On the surface of the burl there are sleeping buds - these are hemispherical tubercles, of which there are quite a lot, and from which thin branches sometimes stick out - these are the so-called awakened buds.

A burl growing on a tree trunk is called a stem burl, and a burl growing at the root is called a kapo root (it is found in the forest much more often than a trunk burl and can reach one and a half meters in diameter). The pattern of burl fibers is very beautiful, especially in those tree species that have a striped texture. The texture of burl fibers is often compared to marble.

The textured pattern of the burl on the cut is a rather complex interweaving of annual layers, which shimmers depending on the lighting angle. On a cut of a good burl, the cores of dormant buds and annual layers are visible. The drawing is more decorative and lively when many dots with concentric circles are visible. The stem burl usually has more dormant buds, so when cut, its structure is more beautiful than the structure of the burl root. The wood of such burls is valued higher by wood craftsmen.

Sometimes the design of the burl is so bizarre that a person, playing with his imagination, sees a landscape or fantastic animals on the burl in the chaotic interweaving of fibers. It is impossible to find two pieces of burl with the same pattern, so burl products that have the same shape in appearance are not similar to each other - each product is unique.

Burl is a rare, very hard and beautiful material; it was widely known in our country back in the 17th century. In Rus' they made the so-called "burl" dishes. Mainly, these were hollowed out bowls, ladles and bowls. At the beginning of the 19th century, burl, along with valuable wood species, was used for decorative finishing of furniture; boxes and snuff boxes were cut out of it, which were then inlaid with gold, mother-of-pearl or ivory and exported to other countries. Thanks to its unique qualities and extraordinary warmth of perception, burl was highly valued all over the world.

It is best to use burl for making peeled veneer and for finishing wooden products. It is not of interest as a material for carving, because it has a rugged surface and a spotted or striped texture, which will interfere with each other in carving. In rare cases, burl can be used for the manufacture of products with a low-relief surface and for the manufacture of such products where the smooth surface of the burl will be combined with relief carvings of other wood.

When extracting burl, you cannot cut down a whole tree or cut it off if it bends the trunk. It is mined only in cases where it can be separated by sawing off the entire burl. It comes off neatly (like a painful growth) without harming the tree. The best source of burl production is logging, where the burls are used as waste. In its raw form, burl can be used as a decorative element, emphasizing the environmentally friendly nature of the room style. Of all naturally occurring burls, about 10% can be used to create decorative and artistic products, and the period from the beginning to the end of its processing can last several years. It is impossible to reduce these terms even with the help of modern technologies due to the negative impact on the color and natural properties of the material. All these features of the burl determine its uniqueness, high value and originality, making it truly exotic and a symbol of ancient traditions in the modern world.

The finishing of “burl” products is, as a rule, simple: the products are coated with a special varnish or natural beeswax, which gives them a matte tint and conveys the warmth of wood well.

The former Vyatka province, now the Kirov region is considered a recognized center for the processing of birch burl. Vyatka craftsmen have taken part in international exhibitions more than once.

In Bashkiria, which is famous for its birch burls, the production of burl products arose not long ago. Burl harvesters, as soon as the snow melts, go to the mountainous southern forests of Bashkiria. They cut off the burl growths carefully; the cut areas are treated with paraffin, lime or oil paint so that the tree does not die from the penetration of various microorganisms into it. Burl wood grows much faster than birch wood. Capo root is more common in the forest. It sometimes reaches one and a half meters in diameter. According to the shape of their growth, burls can be lateral, growing from the side, or circular, encircling the trunk.

Material, which has long been known in Russia as wood bone.
This is a growth, see photo 1, (or influx, as it is also called) on Birch, which forms on a tree trunk for various reasons. For example, weather conditions, environmental climatic influences. Also, this effect can be achieved artificially by wrapping the trunk, for example, with wire; over time it will become overgrown with Suvelya. It was called bone because after careful polishing and impregnation with various oils, the wood takes on a bone-like appearance, and its thin parts can be seen through.

Photo 1. View of Suveli after sleeping. It looks like a bump or swelling. Initially, it is difficult to judge the internal appearance of wood after cutting it.

In most cases, with proper cutting, you can observe amazing phenomena, namely the interweaving of wood fibers that form pearlescent areas of different (unique) patterns and directions, which literally glow, reflecting daylight. Patterns and colors can be different, mostly pink-yellow, straw, or brownish-yellow with a deep pearlescent glow on the cut; in some cases, there are specimens with a dark brown color with the presence of swamp-green shades. This color range is explained by the fact that the wood grows in different conditions and areas, for example: If the growth was cut down in a very swampy area, then it is possible that the color of the wood will most likely be brownish-green. Or another example: If Suvel is located on the butt part of a tree (the butt part of the trunk is the part that is 10 - 15 cm underground and 15 - 20 cm above it, this is on average) and it is covered with moss, then most likely it it will be dark brown with the presence of a pale pink tint, or straw yellow - golden with dark brown growth rings - that is, the presence of dark shades will dominate, but not always.

Photo 2. A rare and valuable specimen of Suveli, naturally dried for about 1.5 years. In the photo you can see the ray glow of the fibers in daylight. This glow is called “Mother of Pearl”, it can be of different types, from clear pearlescent rays to those that you see in other images, there is no limit to the variety.

Photo 3 . This sample is also rare, its main difference from the one on photo 2, this is a marble texture and drying technology, it was dried in a quick way, namely by boiling in a salty solution. The photo clearly shows how it differs from the one on photo 2, the one above has a total straw or golden color and on photo 3 The color is predominantly brownish pink.

Photo 4. Here you see a species that is also rare, but is more common than those in photos 2 and 3.

Photo 5. In this photo, mother-of-pearl stains are called ashy or glass. This type is the most common, but its value is not lost because everyone has different tastes. Some people like the radial section, while others like luminous ashy stains.

Photo 6. This, as we already understood, is the radial direction of the fibers with the presence of ashen stains. (mixed type)

Photo 7. A specimen that looks like a simple one, but in fact it is not, it is also a rare species that grows mainly in swamps, which is why it has such a color.

Photo 8. This is an example of how Suvel looks in finished form (product) in combination with reindeer antler and metals. Knife by Valery Sokolov "Svalbard", made in Scandinavian style.

Also, the general appearance of this wood depends on the type of drying (this does not affect the quality of the products); there are several drying options.
1. Natural, this is when the wood has dried under natural conditions, without human intervention, that is, after being cut over time, the tree has dried out on its own.
2. The old Russian method of quick drying, the wood is boiled in a salty solution for several hours, then the bark is removed and placed in a dark and dry place for several weeks, this is the minimum, and after that it is quite suitable for processing.
The noticeable difference after these types of drying is the color. During natural drying, the wood remains its natural color, and after cooking it acquires a soft pink or carrot tint, this is not for everyone, whoever wants it dries it the way he wants. In the skillful hands of a person who has everything in order with his imagination, any piece of wood will shine and look expensive, you just have to really want it and use your imagination.

Suvel is a material from which you can make various objects, for example, women's jewelry in the form of pendants, earrings, hairpins and bracelets, it depends on how much imagination a person has. Previously, but no, not only earlier and now some enthusiasts use it to make cutlery that is quite suitable for its intended purpose, take for example the Scandinavian “Kuksy”, this is something like our mugs, only made of wood, a better material than Suvel Can't find one for this.
But most importantly, this material is most suitable for making knife handles. Due to its inherent qualities, such as hardness, density, ease of processing and polishing, unique texture, variety of color shades, beauty of mother-of-pearl weaves, etc. One thing is clear that this material will never get boring, although some will not agree with me, this is their right. Previously, I made handles only from exotic types of wood, but they quickly tired me with their monotony and monotony, although to each their own, and someone will say the opposite. But I definitely learned for myself that there is no better raw material than Birch and what it gives us in the form of Burps, Suvels, Svils, Butts and the root part.

All samples that you see in the form of bars are ground and polished, and then treated with shelf oil. This allows you to preserve the natural color of the wood and protect it from moisture and decay + treated with carnauba wax.

The variety of Suveli is very rich, I would say endless, this material is combined with almost all types of wood, bone, metals, etc.

Cap- a growth on a tree with an abnormal wood structure, formed by the local growth of many densely seated accessory dormant buds. Sometimes a few of these hundreds and thousands of undeveloped buds germinate and sprout.

Burl on a tree - ash

The ancient Slavic word “kap” means “head”: usually the growth actually has a rounded shape. Other Old Russian names: bolona, ​​howl, vyplavok, swim, float, howl, paport, roll, goiter, svil, brush. In some sources, burls are also called “witch’s broom” or “whirlwind’s nest,” which is not entirely correct, since these names refer to a completely different tree pathology.

Burl forms on all deciduous (mainly) and coniferous trees. In Russian latitudes it can be found on birch, poplar, maple, linden, aspen, oak, ash, elm, and walnut.
The dimensions of the burl vary from several centimeters to several meters in cross-section. It takes decades, or even more than half a century, to form a medium-sized growth.
Cap is a fairly rare phenomenon, and finding at least one specimen in the forest is a great success. However, there are trees with several or even many growths. As well as places with a concentration of burl trees.

Burls on a tree - birch

Typically, trays are divided into stem and root.
The trunk burl forms on thick branches or trunk and can be lateral (develop on one side, most often the south) or circular (grab the branch or trunk in a ring).
A basal growth - cap root - is formed on the root collar or roots of a tree. In the first case it is above the ground, in the second it is completely hidden and can be detected in the spring by young shoots near the main trunk of the tree, which quickly die.
A tree can have different types of burls at the same time.

If you remove the bark from the burl, then underneath it an uneven, textured surface will be revealed, completely covered with needle-shaped, jagged and pineal-shaped tubercles - these are undeveloped buds.

Around each dormant bud there is already a rudimentary ring structure.

Dormant buds

→ Tree protection - antiseptik.info

Why does a cap appear?

Researchers have not reached a consensus regarding the reasons for the formation of growths.
The most natural explanation is that the emerging adventitious bud cannot grow through the thick and hard bark and freezes. However, the growth processes that have begun are accompanied by an influx of nutrients to this place and the production of plant hormones, so new buds begin to form nearby, which also become dormant, and so on.

Opponents insist that this cannot be done without the influence of external factors of a natural or anthropogenic nature. In particular, mechanical damage to the cortex (animals, birds, people, extreme elements, etc.) at the site of a dormant bud. This assumption is confirmed by the fact that on walnut plantations, where vegetative propagation by grafting (which is actually an injury) is actively used, the root cap often develops on the rootstock below the grafting site. When the fruiting period of the nut expires, the tree is dug up along with the burl, which by that time has grown to a respectable size, and sold as a secondary product.

According to other versions, the formation of burls can be caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, weather anomalies (such as sudden spring frosts), changes in ecology and background radiation, special mineral composition of the soil, geological faults, and groundwater.

According to the conclusions of Soviet scientists, the formation of a burl is a biologically useful, protective property for trees, acquired during the process of evolution in response to unfavorable environmental conditions. Moreover, this is a genetically fixed (hereditary) quality. In the Moscow region and the Kirov region, successful attempts were made to cultivate trees with growths using planting material from burl birches (seeds and cuttings for scion). It was noted that such trees are more viable and hardy.

The heterogeneous structure of the burl gives a unique, highly decorative pattern in a tangential section: dark dots are the cores of dormant buds, tortuous areas are elongated and twisted annual layers. In a radial section, light and dark rays are distinguishable.
The wide palette of burl colors includes various shades of milky, brown, green, and pink. The color depends on the type of tree, its growing conditions, and the location of the thickening.
The texture of the stem growth is richer than that of the burl, and the burl of valuable and exotic tree species is more expressive compared to ordinary ones.
On a fresh cut, the texture is weakly expressed; to reveal it, the grain is subjected to grinding, toning and polishing. As a result, a picturesque pattern and multicolor appear, a muted shine and shimmer in the light appear.
The burl pattern is often compared to malachite and marble. The comparison with stone is also apt because the growth is characterized by increased density and hardness and is heavier than the parent wood.

Birch burl texture

Burl is used in its entirety to create artistic products, and in veneer for finishing exclusive items and furniture. Burls of thuja, myrtle, camphor and some other trees retain their characteristic aroma even after processing.

Cap, suvel. Harvesting, drying, properties.

The author of this material is a great specialist in the artistic processing of wood (and not only wood), already familiar to us from Sergei from the Moscow region. Today Sergey will reveal to readers the secret of quick drying of such rare and interesting materials as burl and suvel. The information is very rare and useful. Reading...

So first, let's define some concepts.
KAP - (aka witch's broom) is a benign formation on a tree, which is a bunch of thin branches growing from a teardrop-shaped (most often) growth. When viewed cross-section, it has a texture with pronounced knot cores. It is difficult to process due to its highly curled texture and a huge number of knots. Extremely beautiful, durable, perfectly sanded and polished.
Numerous individual areas have a pearlescent tint. It has no great industrial significance, but is highly valued because of its beauty. If it is used in industry, it is only in the form of veneer for finishing furniture (burls from exotic tree species are mainly used), as well as the production of small products such as boxes, cigarette cases, women's hairpins, and small jewelry (birch burls). Used on knife handles is considered good taste and is also valued by wood carvers for its unique texture.
It is impossible to find two identical pieces of burl; even the halves of a sawn burl have different patterns, the build-up is so heterogeneous. It grows on many trees (linden, alder, birch, maple, oak, etc.), but the most valuable and beautiful is birch (of those growing in our latitudes). The growth is usually small, maximum the size of a volleyball ball or the size of a large plate.
There is no point in cutting any pattern on the burl, since the texture clogs everything up.
The photo shows a birch burl. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a cut of a birch burl (I took these pictures near my native police station and, as you understand, they wouldn’t let me cut anything down there... But I contrived and found an ash burl; most of the burls are similar in texture and only differ color and size of the knots’ cores. Let’s see:

SUVEL - (aka svil) As is clear from the name, the growth got its name because of its structure (twisted structure, that’s putting it mildly). Suvel is a drop-shaped or spherical growth on a tree (there is also a ring variety that covers the tree trunk around the perimeter), usually grows 2-3 times faster than the tree itself. When cut, it has a texture similar in pattern to marble and mother-of-pearl (this is the main sign of difference from KAPA; in the future, do not confuse suvel and burl).
The presence of mother-of-pearl stains on polished wood creates a beautiful shimmering picture that glows from within. Svil is also poorly processed, like burl, but not as hard. The size varies from a nut to 1.5 meters in height (I myself saw one on a birch) and up to 2 meters in diameter (a ring suvel that completely covered the tree trunk). In the Vatican there is a font much more than a meter in diameter, carved from a single piece of suveli. I myself was once sitting in a chair carved from suveli. It holds fine threads perfectly, but cutting suvel is not recommended. It is better to sand and varnish (impregnate with oil). The product will only benefit from this.
The most valuable is the root or butt fork. The presence of dark veins and clearly defined twisted annual rings. This is a fairy tale. BEAUTIFUL, that says it all. Barrel suvel has a finer texture and a more subtle “frosty” pattern. And lighter wood. In terms of strength, butt suvel is slightly superior to trunk suvel due to the structure of the tree trunk. Suvel is durable, beautiful, easy to polish and sand. Well-dried and treated, it begins to “glow” from the inside (with proper impregnation with oils, the wood becomes like amber and even a little transparent). Usually has a color from soft yellow to pinkish-brown to completely ocher-brown. It all depends on the conditions and drying time. The cap has the same colors.
Photos:

As you can see, the cap is not at all similar to suvel.

CHAGA is a mushroom (not to be confused with the tinder fungus!!!) and we do not need it for our purposes.

So, how to dry it. I’ll say right away that the “steaming” method is suitable for small pieces of wood. About half the size of a football or a small log.

1. We cut off the growth. We do this with a sharp saw. Otherwise, you will get tired of sawing, and the tree will begin to become shaggy. We do not peel off the bark. Don't forget to cover the cut on the wood with oil paint or wax or something similar.

IT IS PREFERABLE TO CUTT OUT THE GROWTH DURING THE DRY TIME OF THE YEAR, IDEAL AT THE END OF AUGUST, THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER, BEFORE THE COMMONATION STARTS.

2. Take an unnecessary pan (bucket) and throw a piece of wood there. The pan is unnecessary, since during the cooking process a very tricky broth is formed which is then very troublesome to wash off. It is better to clean the wood of any rags of birch bark and other fragile and dangling pieces. they will still fall off.
I consider birch growth as the most accessible and beautiful; the rest of the growths are cooked using the same technology. The log is accordingly cleaned of any debris and fragile particles. Pour water. It is convenient to do this with a faceted glass (it contains 250 ml). The water should cover the piece of wood by about a centimeter or two. The tree naturally floats up, but let’s press it to the bottom and we’ll see everything. It doesn’t matter what kind of water you pour, cold or hot, it will still boil. You can throw a piece of wood into a saucepan as much as you like; what is important is the volume of an individual piece of wood and not the total volume of wood.

3. Take table salt, whatever you don’t mind. We're not making soup. For a liter of water, pour 2 large tablespoons of salt (who will count glasses of water??? Eh?). You can do more, as much as you like, it’s okay, it’s impossible to overdo it.
The main thing is that the water is sickly salty. You can use clean sea water (precisely clean, otherwise it will smell disgusting of mud).
The salt will draw sap from the tree, but will not saturate the tree.

4. Find sawdust of resinous wood. Spruce and pine are the easiest to get. Take a saw and go ahead. We need two powerful handfuls of sawdust (raking the sawdust with both hands). Precisely sawdust, not shavings from a simple hand plane.
The shavings will come from an electric planer (you can get them at the nearest sawmill or plan them yourself). I always use them. They are quite small and are usually plentiful and easy to obtain. The more resin in the sawdust, the better. And the finer the sawdust, the better. Pour into a saucepan. You could have taken a bigger saucepan! Sawdust will give the suveli a pleasant ocher color. From soft pink-yellow to ocher-brown. Resins will also add strength to the wood and reveal texture.

5. When the water boils, reduce the heat and leave it simmering for 6-8 hours, longer if you have the patience.
If the saucepan is large, then you don’t have to turn down the flame, let the water boil and bubble. But you need to watch so that the water does not boil away completely. Salt, sawdust, temperature and time will do their job. Add water as needed. During the cooking process, a red “broth” is formed. And scale. It is better to remove scale immediately. It is very difficult to wash off.

6. 6-8 hours have passed (depending on the size of the piece of wood). We take out the piece of wood. We rinse under running water to remove sawdust. We dump the water from the pan as unnecessary, but you can leave it for next time if you have somewhere to store it. But it's easier to pour out the water. We throw the growth onto the cabinet, wrapping it in nothing. Let it cool for a day or two.

7 We repeat the process of cooking and drying 2-4 times depending on the volume of wood.
To speed up the process, you can use a pressure cooker. The time is reduced to 4-6 hours.

8. During the last cooking, you need to quickly peel off the bark while the tree is hot. Although she herself should fall off by this time. Carefully!!! Hot!!! use gloves!

9. We throw it on the closet for a week or two. The tree is basically already dry, but let the remaining moisture go away.
The tree will “get used” to the atmosphere. After final drying, the wood will become bone-like and can be cut, sawed, or sanded. There will be no foreign smell. It will only smell like wood.

10. During the process of accelerated drying of wood, it must be remembered that small cracks may appear, and therefore it is necessary to allow allowance for their removal in subsequent processing.

11. Where to look for growths... Naturally in the forest. BUT! There are no specific places of growth, they grow spontaneously, and the biggest and most beautiful growths will be found by the most big-eyed and persistent. This activity is akin to mushroom hunting; whoever ran around the forest further and further got more.
That seems to be it. I remind you once again that large pieces cannot be dried like this. Cracked. Necessarily. Verified.

12. After the wood has finally gotten used to the atmosphere, you can start working with the workpiece. It is advisable to soak the suvel and cap with oil, and if desired, with wax too. The wood will reveal its texture, it will “play,” as they say, and all its inner beauty will appear.

If you have any questions or any clarifications about the technology described above, I will answer to the best of my ability.

I’ll end with this, your Serjant.